December 17, 2011

I swear emailing is the most stressful thing I do here. I have so much I want to tell you all, and so little time. Those red numbers are the brain of my existence!! First of all I want to say thank you for all your support SERIOUSLY!! I don't know what I would do without my mom, brother, sisters, and friends that have been using Dear Elder and writing m!! It keeps me sane, keep it up! Sorry but until I find stamps in this place I can't write back. We are only allowed to go to one store here and they don't sell stamps... grrr. Oh Courtney Bullard you better stalk my blog. I get your letters but one of them got stolen!! No lie they opened up your letter, took it out and then put just the envelope in a clear bag thing and sent it to me!!! What did you send me? Was it a picture of JB!? Cuz I can totally understand why someone would steal that.

This week has been great. We went on a tour of Lima. I sent pictures home!! It was super fun! Just so you know if you know anyone with low self esteem and blue eyes just send them to Peru. Seriously I got stopped so many times by people telling me how beautiful I was, or my eyes. Haha It was cute when it was little old ladies, but it was super awkward when it was men... what are you supposed to do... I just would say thank you and walk away. Haha

I got a new companion this week, Hermana Cartagena!! She is from Peru and wonderful!! She reminds me of that cartoon Speedy Gonzales!! Remember that little mouse that ran around super fast and spoke Spanish super fast!!! Yup that is her! She is TINY, her head doesn't even come to the top of my shoulders and she can't weigh more than 80 pounds. I will send pictures next week. Its hilarious! She is so wonderful! And speedy. Serioulsy I don't think she walks anywhere. Or maybe she has to run to keep up with me and my giant long legs. Haha She speaks really fast, by some miracle I understand most of what she says. OH AND BEST OF ALL she is great at volleyball!! I am pretty sure that is proof that God does in face love me.

I hope none of you feel like I am being a terrible friend or family member!! I know so many of you have had HUGE things going on in your lives. Don't think I have forgotten about your weddings, babies, and boy troubles!! Because I haven't, I care so much!! I just don't have stamps right now so I can't write and tell you how much I love and care about you and that it all is going to work out!! HAVE FAITH!! Also my family I have been writing but now I am out of stamps ugh! I hope you start getting my letters soon!

So stupid Sadie moment of the week. I went half the day without realizing that I totally had one brown shoe and one black shoe on... yup... my teacher couldn't stop laughing at me!

We got a ton of new Hermanas this week. Two of which are going to my mission! I am the only North American going... I haven't even met a North American Elder going yet. It makes me nervous, just cuz sometimes its nice to know someone else is as lost and unsure of everything as you are. Haha But the Hermanas are so great!! I hope I get to have them as companions at some point.

I want you all to know that I am very happy here in Peru! I feel like I am starting to find a balance between Sadie and Hermana Taggart. I am starting to get weird though... I know I am. The cheesy church music I have on my iPod isn't sounding as cheesy as it once did. And I might have giggled more than I ever would have at some things written to me in letters. Haha Oh boy, when I come home super awkward, I think my friends are all just going to have a hay day making me feel awkward for once in my life. Haha

I really am happy though. I remember last year being so confused about where I was going in my life and what I was doing, and what I was supposed to be doing. A year later I wake up every morning knowing I am where I am supposed to be. That is the most comforting feeling in the world!!

I love you all! I wish we could be together for Christmas!! For Christmas do you know what I would really want and like!! LETTERS!!! But start sending them to my mission home cuz by the time they get to me I will be in the FIELD! Love you all!!

How's the weather in Utah? Is it freezing? That's too bad, because its WONDERFUL here in Peru!! I'm getting an awesome missionary tan line. Haha So this week was good. I have an embarrassing story for you all (why I share this stuff I don't know. It will probably come back to haunt me later Haha). So last Wednesday night I was sitting at the devotional in my super long orange skirt. We all stood up to sing a song and I accidently stood on my skirt... so when I stood up my skirt dropped to my knees... yeah. Did I mention I was sitting on the front row with over 100 Elders behind me. Yeah... so I hurried and pulled up my skirt, look around, it seems no one has noticed. My companions aren't laughing, so I know they didn't notice. After the devotional I turn to my companion and tell her what happened. And I said I hope none of the Elders noticed. Then one Elder from my district, Elder Allen, walks past and whispers, "They noticed"... Yeah so I might have mooned all the Elders in the CCM...NBD really. Haha That would only happen to me.

Saturday we went tracking...it was fun...ok it wasn't. Haha I felt terrible. Mostly because I couldn't help my companion at all!! No one would talk to us and then the three people who did I couldn't understand. I felt bad. But oh well. One day it will come. The last guy we talked to though was amazing. As we introduced ourselves this cute little old man that was gardening knew who we were. He had taken the lessons years ago, he had a Book of Mormon and LOVED it. When he moved to Peru the missionaries lost track of him. He was excited and wanted to start meeting with the missionaries again. He was also the only person I understood the whole time. So that was good. The 4 hours of having windows and doors shut in our faces were worth it just to see his excitement.

Also I finished The Book of Mormon this week. Our mission president asked that we finish it in our first three weeks here!! Which was CRAZY hard. They don't give you time to just read here. So you have to make time, like when your comp is in the bathroom, or after you finish eating a meal!! But I did it! After I did what its asking in the last chapter of Moroni and I prayed to know if it was true. That wasn't my first time finishing the Book of Mormon or my first time praying about it. But I was nervous, (I always am). What if it isn't true this time? What if I don't feel the Spirit testify that it's true?... but I have good news!! ITS TRUE!!! I know it is. Honestly that's the greatest news anyone could have. Because if the Book of Mormon is true, then God is our loving Heavenly Father, Jesus is his son and our Savior!! We can be with our families for ETERNITY!!! If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a true prophet as well as all of his successors!! If the Book of Mormon is true, God loves his children and talks to them!! The Book of Mormon is the word of God, it is a companionship to the Bible. Its true!!! The true Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again and his power is restored!! That's pretty much the best news in the world!!

Well I love you all! I get to go on a tour of Lima today!! I will tell you all about it next week!!!
Love you ALL!
Anna and Autumn I love you! I wish I could be there for your weddings!! Love you!!!

I am loving Peru!!! So I just thought I would give you all a rundown of what an average day in the Peruvian MTC is like.

My day starts at 5 in the morning. Seems pretty early right??? I think so too, but for some reason all the Latinas wake up a hour and a half early!! AAAHHH!!!!! And without an alarm clock, every morning like clockwork. I hear Hermana Cumba, directamente arriba de me cabeza, making her bed (just so you know I just made another lame missionary joke, but this time in Spanish. Haha Basically I just quoted part of the first vision. I am aware its lame, but I will have you know I made the joke to my companion and she died laughing. So it was funny, just to us lame Hermanas. Haha)

Usually I go back to bed, wake up at 6 and get ready. Showering at the CCM is dangerous!! The water changs temperature without any warning!! So you just have to be ready to dive away from the hot water. Haha Its an adventure.

Breakfast and all meals are my favorite part of the day. The food is so, so good. It just all takes the same. Haha I love my companions. It's so much fun to talk to them during meals.

After breakfast is CLASS, CLASS, CLASS, about the gospel, about Spanish, about Spanish, and the gospel. Its good, my Spanish is improving slowly but surely.

Lunch!! So eating here is a science. Everyone gets sick at first because the Peruvians eat so much rice, bread, and potatoes. You have to learn to balance out your fruit to rice intake or you will be VERY sorry. I have found two apples a day keeps the stomach pains... well not away, but manageable. Haha

After lunch is my favorite class, TRC. We teach with our Latinas, Hermana Cumba is SO amazing!! She has helped me with my Spanish so much and she really is just an awesome person. The only time I hate TRC is when we are teaching and I have no clue what is being said. And then she turns to me and says, "Now Hermana Taggart will share a scripture with us." And I just pray that I pick one that is even slightly on subject. Haha

After TRC is gym. Gym here is awful!!! There is no way to go running. No one is good at volleyball and there is no gym equipment. :( The best volleyball I have played since being here was against the wall. Haha But it's all good.

Dinner! So like I said meals are my favorite because I get to talk with my comps, but usually by the end of a meal Hermana Cumba can't even look at me anymore because she is laughing so hard. Haha I don't have patience to make sure I am saying right words so I make ALOT of mistakes. Two great examples from this week: It was night time and I looked up in the sky and saw my first star in Peru (the sky here is so cloudy you never see the sky). Anyhow I looked up and proudly yelled "AUSTRALIA"... The country. Haha When I meant to say "Astrella" the Spanish word for star. Lots of people heard that one so I have elders coming up to me all the time and pointing in the sky and saying "AUSTRALIA"!! Haha Another stupid Spanish moment of this week was when I was talking about the new "nuevo" missionaries coming in on Wednesday. But I accidently said "novio" which means boyfriend. Hermana Cumba thought I said I had a boyfriend coming in on Wednesday. But when she tried to clarify with me I didn't understand her so I just said "Si". Haha It took a long time to fix that communicated problem.

After dinner is CLASS, CLASS, CLASS, planning and BED!!!

Then I just wake up and do it all over again. Haha I really am so happy here. I will be honest, Provo was good, but I felt weird there. I feel so much more like myself. Probably because I am constantly making a fool of myself and have people laughing at me, but that's what I'm used to so its good. Hopefully one day my Spanish will be good enough so I can make a joke instead of be the joke. Haha But it's all good. I love it here. I can't wait until I can be a REAL missionary. Haha

Well I love you all!! Don't be afraid to write! You have two more weeks to send letters here, then they will need to be sent to my mission address. :) Love you all!

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Missionary Scripture

John 21:17"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."